The joy I found in my marriage this week: Unity.

Not everyone is going to agree with the decisions you are making as a couple and as a family. And sometimes those decisions can hurt other people, without meaning to.

So far in our 4 years of marriage, this is a recurring thing that comes up with the people around us, whether it’s with our family, friends, or neighborhood, we’ve had to do more balancing, say “no” a lot more, and even drop some friends.

Sometimes we have to do the uncomfortable choice because we feel it’s part of our values and beliefs, and other times it’s for our own peace of mind. I guess that can make us seem selfish but there are many times where we go ahead and make ourselves uncomfortable, and frustrated because it will make others feel better. It’s incredibly tough to find a balance between doing what you think is best for the two of you, and what other people want or expect of you.

I know that we will have PLENTY more situations like this come up throughout the rest of our marriage, especially when we start to add the responsibility of children to the mix because we want to do what is best for them, too. I know that we have made some mistakes in our choices because we aren’t perfect, but I think we wouldn’t learn what our values are without making those mistakes.

All of this is why I’m grateful that my husband and I are unified in our values and beliefs. Being on the same page with my spouse through difficult decision-making like ones we have had to make this past week is incredibly comforting through it all, and it’s definitely something that gave me joy this week in our marriage. :)

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